The World Health Organisation has issued a stark alert, revealing that the Eastern Mediterranean region is grappling with nearly 50 percent of the world’s humanitarian challenges. Despite housing under 10 percent of the global population, the region is facing failing healthcare infrastructure, rising disease outbreaks, and avoidable fatalities. Hanan Balkhy, the WHO Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean, highlighted that the area is approaching a critical threshold where war, disease, and environmental disasters collide with severe budget deficits.
Balkhy noted that for 2026, the WHO requires $1.12 billion for global emergency response, with over 50 percent designated for this specific region. Currently, more than 40 percent of that required funding remains uncollected, leading to shortages in life-saving medicine, vaccinations, and essential medical care. The repercussions are visible, as expectant mothers lack maternity services, children miss standard immunizations, and populations are increasingly exposed to illness.
Specific crises in Gaza, Lebanon, and Sudan underscore the instability. In Gaza, the health sector is nearing total collapse, with more than 214,000 cases of communicable diseases reported in May and over 43,000 residents requiring long-term rehabilitation. Meanwhile, Lebanon has experienced 4,200 deaths and 12,000 injuries, with healthcare infrastructure suffering direct attacks that have killed 135 medical workers. Sudan is simultaneously battling a cholera outbreak in West Kordofan, which has resulted in 117 deaths amid ongoing conflict and flooding.
Beyond these immediate conflicts, the region faces threats from the Bundibugyo virus, prompting increased vigilance in Sudan, Somalia, and Djibouti. The WHO’s logistics base in Dubai is managing an unprecedented volume of operations, shipping $5 million in supplies to 26 nations. With climate change further endangering vulnerable groups in the Greater Horn of Africa, Balkhy urged immediate international intervention to bridge these critical resource gaps before the situation deteriorates further.